One of those agreements is the much-heralded one the city reached with the U.S. Justice Department last July for reform of the Police Department. The city now is trying to get out of that agreement, saying the Justice Department's separate agreement for jail reform with Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman jeopardizes the city's financial health.

Landrieu said the city is struggling to pay the federally-mandated $55 million consent decree for the New Orleans Police Department and now is expected to pay for a separate consent decree for the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office.

OPSO’s consent decree would cost twice as much as a separate NOPD consent decree, Landrieu said, and could result in 779 layoffs citywide.

Although Gusman runs the jail, the city provides money to operate it and Landrieu's administration says the jail agreement will be so expensive that it could lead to furloughs and cutbacks that could jeopardize police reform efforts.

"Nowhere have we dedicated more resources and attention than to reforming the NOPD from top to bottom. Come hell or high water, and with help from the hundreds of honest, dedicated cops we will reform the NOPD. You can take that to the bank. Nothing else is more important. We’re not waiting for anyone or anything; we are moving forward," Landrieu said at council chambers Thursday.

Landrieu said he was proud to sign and work on implementing the NOPD consent decree, but said the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office consent decree is "undermining our ability to move forward."

However, Landrieu said it wasn't just the ability to move forward, but a monetary concern was underlined as well.

The mayor said the OPSO consent decree and the resulting lawsuits could mean "catastrophe' for the city’s budget situation.

"The bottom line is that both the OPSO and NOPD consent decrees cannot be paid for at the same time without raising taxes or substantially gutting all aspects of city services, especially public safety," Landrieu said.

Gusman called his own press conference Thursday, calling the mayor’s speech a City Hall spectacle. He said it was a last-ditch effort to take attention away from what’s been a problem for years.

“The city has failed to fulfill its legal obligation to adequately pay for the care and custody of the city’s inmate,” Gusman said.

Gusman said officials have done their best to cut costs, from introducing administrative staff furloughs, integrating criminal and civil divisions and reducing overtime.

"As a result, we have experienced severe attrition among deputies they receive severe attrition,” Gusman said. “They receive their training and then move to other law enforcement agencies, where they can earn salaries 30 percent or higher.”

As for Landrieu’s suggestion that Gusman turn to state lawmakers to fund the decrease, Gusman said his office was going to try every resource available to them.